The Legend of the Emerald King
by EmblemQueen
Summary: It's been years since Grima's defeat and Chrom has been teaching his ten year old daughter, Lucina, about famous heroes from the past and other worlds. She's very interested in them and now Chrom reads to her about one of the most legendary kings that ever lived. Beware of spoilers for my main FE fic, Dawn of Darkness!


**Author's Note: Yes, guys, this is that Awakening oneshot I'd had in mind for a while! :D The one that I had come up with before the Frederick stuff. I thought of it when I noticed how much Chrom seems to know about past FE heroes, such as Ike, Marth, Elincia, Eirika, etc. So I decided hey, he could know about certain characters from Dawn of Darkness too! And little Lucina is very interested in hearing about one of them. Also, the lyrics below are based on and inspired by the song "The Legend of the Sword" from Disney's **_**The Sword in the Stone**_**. It also follows the same tune. And fortunately, it's easy to find on Youtube! The inspiration comes from the fact that Astryn is left in a similar situation as England had in the movie. It's an awesome movie too! And while this little story is also related to Dawn of Darkness, the reason that it's been posted separately is because it also relates more to Awakening instead of the Tellius games this time. Well, enjoy. ^^**

The Legend of the Emerald King

_A legend is sung_

_Of when Astryn was young_

_And war had torn the land_

_The good queen had ailed_

_And no one could prevail_

_In deciding an heir to the throne_

_It had seemed that all hope_

_Would be dead with men_

_Or found by a miracle alone_

_And that miracle appeared_

_In fair Medann_

_An old, wood portrait_

_And when the ill queen laid eyes on this relic, which depicted an unknown, but beautiful woman, she uttered these words: "My sister…my nephew…where could he be…? Her little boy…must be out there…"_

_And so started a grand journey to seek out the prince the queen had spoken of. Though many had searched far and wide across the land, none could find a man that much resembled the woman in the portrait, and so, faith faded once again. Nobles had begun vying for the throne, and the ailing queen's condition only worsened. Without someone to enforce law and order, people lived in fear and despair. And time had all but run out…_

"And that's how they say the Radiant Hero, Ike, also known as the Blue Flame, came in possession of Ragnell," King Chrom, the Exalt of the nation of Ylisse, finished with a smile as he had read some text from a book. "It was really by complete chance that he got it, you might say."

"Wow! And that blade would later help him become as famous as he is…" a young girl with the same blue hair as Chrom and sitting in his lap commented eagerly. "And he could even wield it with one hand even though it was a two-handed sword! Ike was really amazing!"

"Heh, I must agree, Lucina. He was quite amazing!" Chrom replied. "He'd probably give Hero King Marth some competition, huh?"

"Maybe. But who knows, cause King Marth was also amazing! The other ancient heroes you've read about to me were incredible too!"

"Haha, yes, they were! Of course, Marth is the one we know the most about, though, because he's also our ancestor."

"Ah, yeah. I have to say Ragnell is my favorite famous ancient weapon so far though. The gold color and the little teal jewels on its hilt are just so pretty!"

"Yeah, they are, aren't they?"

"Oh yes! …Huh? Hey, Daddy, what about this lance on the next page?" Lucina wondered as she gazed upon a drawing of a lance with a lightning bolt-shaped blade. "I've never seen anything like it in the other books you've shown me. But its blade looks so cool!"

"Ah, that lance is very special," Chrom revealed. "Of course, all the weapons shown in this book are special, but this one is one of the most unique and famous."

"Really? Tell me all about it next!" Lucina cried excitedly. "I wanna know!"

"Hehe, sure, sweetheart," Chrom agreed happily. He had brought his daughter to the royal library in Ylisstol, Ylisse's capital, as she was interested in learning about past heroes and weapons known to the nation. Many books had texts about them, though as Chrom had said, a majority of them were about the hero king, Marth, since he was of their world. The other heroes were from different worlds and knowledge of them had grown somewhat limited over the centuries. Even so, ten-year-old Princess Lucina was interested in learning everything she could about them.

"This lance is the legendary thunder lance, Eronite," Chrom began. "It doesn't actually possess any thunder magic, but due to its bolt-shaped blade, it looked like a bolt of lightning striking its target whenever it was thrown. However, no one knows where its original name came from."

"Ooh…" Lucina replied, listening closely. "Who used Eronite?"

"That's actually a little complicated. You see, practically nobody could use it."

"Huh? But then how is it famous? And why couldn't anyone use it?"

"Those are very good questions. You see, it was an enchanted lance that only members of a certain royal family could wield."

"Oh, you mean like your sword? Fal-shun?"

Chrom chuckled at his daughter's attempt to pronounce his unique blade's name.

"Falchion, sweetie. But yes, sort of. Eronite was one of seven enchanted weapons that could not be used by anyone except these royals and many kings and queens in this family used it to protect their kingdom. This kingdom was Astryn, a land in the other-worldly continent of Altarais. And Eronite was wielded by the most famous and legendary Astrynian ruler of them all: Bryan, the Emerald King."

"Oh wow! I bet he's as legendary as King Marth!" Lucina guessed.

"Heh, perhaps. King Bryan is famous for somewhat different reasons than him though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. His story is as unique as that lance. It's a tale that's been passed down through many generations, both in Bryan's world and our own, they say. Obviously, we don't know as much as the people in his world do, but we do know a good bit. We also know that Altarais lies in the same world as Tellius, the home of Ike."

"Oh, that's so cool! I wonder if Ike ever met King Bryan?"

"Actually, he did. In fact, the texts say they fought alongside one another in a great war to protect Altarais. The continent was likely the first land Ike had ventured to after departing Tellius."

Lucina nearly jumped with excitement at her father's words.

"Wow, that's awesome!" She blurted. "They must have made an incredible team!"

"I'm sure they did," Chrom agreed with a smile. "Both of them had legendary skills, after all. They also were allied with another famous hero of Altarais lore: Azura, the Lady of Light and wielder of another legendary lance known as Anacybele. She actually led the famed army that saved Altarais."

"Oh, cool! I wanna know about her when you're done with King Bryan!"

"Heh, you're just really enjoying all of this, aren't you?"

"I am, Daddy! It's all so awesome and fascinating!"

Chrom merely shot his daughter a smile.

"Well, I'm glad I could entertain you so well," he commented. "I'll definitely tell you about Azura after King Bryan then. I think you'd also enjoy hearing about the famous knight general that also fought in that army and later married Azura. He was Leyon, the Flaming Axe. What do you say?"

Lucina squealed with glee.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes!" she exclaimed.

"Then you got it," Chrom replied with a caring smile. "Now, King Bryan became so famous for his deeds that people wrote many songs and poems about him. Many of them had been lost over time, but some are still being preserved. However, texts speak most often of one poetry line in particular that's the most well-known of them all. It reads "With the lance of thunder in his hand, the Emerald King kept peace in his land.""

"Wow…"

"What makes King Bryan's story as unique and special as it is, though, is that his early life was very different from other royals. In fact, he grew up not even knowing he was royalty and for a long time, his very existence was a myth to the Astrynians."

"Really? But why was that?"

"A terrible war tore his homeland apart and took the lives of most of his family, including his mother, the princess at the time. His father had no choice but to flee and raise his son in a neighboring land."

"Oh, I see. Not having a mommy must've been really hard for him…"

"I imagine so. And his father must have grieved for years."

"Yeah. Well, do we have a book about King Bryan?"

"Ah, I believe we do. Of course, it doesn't have every detail, but what it does have is important. I'll see if I can find it."

"Yay!"

With that, Lucina jumped off of her father's lap. Chrom then got up from the soft rug on the floor and walked over to the bookshelf labeled "history." He then scanned them until he located a book with a fine green cover. Chrom pulled it from its resting place to check if it was the one he was looking for. And it was, as its cover was embroidered with gold and it was titled _Tales of Altarais: The Legend of the Emerald King_. Below the title was a picture of King Bryan himself. He was garbed in gold-embroidered emerald armor and a long, bluish green tunic. His olive green hair was being tossed by the wind. A dark blue cape flowed behind him and a gold, majestic circlet enveloped his head. In his right hand, he wielded Eronite, holding it behind him as if he was about to attack an invisible target.

Now that he thought about it, Chrom was glad he was going to open the book and read to Lucina about the legendary Astrynian king. If Marth hadn't provided enough examples for him to follow, Bryan would surely finish the job. Both were legendary kings in their own right, but surely their reigns had been different. Chrom then returned to the rug and sat down again. Lucina settled in his lap once more and gazed upon the book her father had retrieved.

"Oh wow, the cover is just as cool as the others!" she commented. "King Bryan looks young too!"

"Yeah, he actually was pretty young when he was first crowned," Chrom confirmed. "His exact age is unknown, but it's believed that he wasn't much older than me when I became Exalt."

"Ah, that's neat! Also, I can see why King Bryan is called the Emerald King. He wore a lot of green! His hair was green too!"

"Yep, that's right. Texts say he even had green eyes as well."

"Wow. I bet it was his favorite color!"

"Heh, probably," Chrom agreed as he opened the book. "As you might have guessed, King Bryan had a long and glorious reign. It was one of the longest in Astryn history. In fact, Bryan was so loved and respected by his people that eventually, the Astrynians began to hold a festival every year in honor of him and his family. It was known as the Festival of the Emerald King."

"Oh wow! That's so neat! I bet they held it on his birthday, right?"

"As a matter of fact, they did! Or at least, that's what the texts say, but I don't think it would make sense to hold it on any other day. Also, the festival continued to be held even after King Bryan's passing and was hosted by future rulers, most notably his son, Alex, with help from Calina, Bryan's daughter."

"I hoped you would say that! Those rulers should have followed King Bryan's examples since he was so great!"

"You are exactly right. I'd like to follow at least some of them myself."

"That's good! Then my daddy will be one of the best Exalts ever!"

"Heh, maybe! Anyway…"

Chrom turned to the first page of text in the book. The smooth parchment pages had a lovely gold border. Written at the top of the page was the poetic line he had mentioned beforehand, which Lucina immediately took note of.

"Hey! That's the poem line you told me about earlier! At least I think," she said. "I'm still learning to read, after all."

"Yep, it is!" Chrom confirmed and read from the page. "With the lance of thunder in his hand, the Emerald King kept peace in his land. This sentence derived from a poem is the most famous line about the most famous and legendary king of Astryn. King Bryan, better known as the Emerald King."

"Daddy! You already told me all that! Read further!"

"Haha, okay, okay, sweetheart."

Chrom then continued reading on the next page, which began the story by speaking of events that occurred not long before Bryan's birth. Astryn itself had been a powerful state and was the largest nation on the continent of Altarais. However, a war, the same one Chrom had also mentioned earlier, that had occurred more than two decades before the legendary king had been crowned tore the land apart and crushed its strength. Its ruler at the time, a queen with no known husband, had survived, but began ailing due to the heavy losses. Many commoners and nobles were killed in this tragic battle, which almost seemed like more of a massacre.

"Oh my…" Lucina commented. "How terrible, especially for that queen. Who started this war?"

"Yeah, it was very bad. And the northwestern nation in Altarais, Melora, had started it. They were also the same nation that was responsible for the second war which Azura, Bryan, Ike, and Leyon fought and defeated them in. Melora was apparently a very aggressive and military-driven country, and had rapidly grown in power over time."

"Dang. No wonder Astryn was battered so badly…"

"Indeed. The worst thing about it for them was that because none of their healers and doctors could improve the queen's health much, if at all, she was expected to pass away soon. And she had no children."

"That's so awful… But wait, if she had no children, how was King Bryan related to her?"

"That's a good question. Remember that princess I mentioned earlier? She was Marion's younger sister, and she did have a child. That child being Bryan himself."

"Oh! So that's it! And King Bryan's dad was her husband?"

"That's right," Chrom confirmed, his eyebrows arching when he scanned further ahead. "Oh, here's something I had not known…"

"What, Daddy?"

"Bryan's full name. I guess more information about him was discovered over time. His full name is Bryan Casimir Novat according to this book. I had figured he was also the first king not to bear the name Astryn. So House Novat was the noble family whose reign over Astryn began with Bryan."

"Oh, interesting! But tell me more!"

"Heh, of course."

The story continued by describing the battle that forced Bryan's father, Owen, who had been a Grand Duke, to flee with the baby boy. At that point, few survivors in the nation's capital remained and Bryan's father, his mother, and another noble attempted to leave the city and cross the border. Unfortunately, the fires of the war forced the group to become separated. Bryan's parents agreed to meet up at the Astryn-Talgria border, but Owen waited for his wife for a long time. He grew worried about his family and sought them out, only to find his wife lying in some fallows with a fatal injury, the infant Prince Bryan still cradled in her arms. She died soon after, and Owen took his son and escaped across the border in tears.

"That is so sad…" Lucina uttered, almost tearing up herself.

"It is. Owen devoted his life to raising his son in the late princess's honor though."

"That's good! But who killed her?"

"It reads here that the Meloran general commanding the invasion did it himself. His name was Shigo. He had sought Astryn for his own and found the princess before her husband could."

"Oh my… Then, Bryan's father took him to Talgria to hide from that general?"

"Exactly. Owen was so scarred by the events in this war that he refused to say anything to Bryan about his mother for years. Bryan himself grew up feeling like he was a stranger to himself, and wished to find out. He continuously searched for clues, but came up empty-handed. His childhood wasn't any better either."

Chrom continued to read the text in the book, which described Bryan's childhood as full of loneliness and weakness. Other children picked on him constantly and their parents deemed him as strange and eerily different. He refused to pick fights and would have rather buried his nose in books about lancing and famous lancers than go outside and play a lot. He even began teaching himself to use a lance at an early age using those books. However, he would sometimes have to run errands for his father or decide to try making a friend or two, however. Because of his, Bryan was sent into tears almost every day and sometimes even came home with a black eye. But he detested violence and never fought back, despite his father's efforts to convince him to and despite his developing lancing skills.

"Oh… Poor Bryan," Lucina sympathized. "That's so horrible. Those kids were so mean to him!"

"Yes, they definitely were," Chrom agreed. "I was disgusted when I first learned of this as well."

"I bet! But still, I can't believe King Bryan grew up to be as powerful a warrior and king as he was after that!"

"Yeah, he changed a great deal as he grew older. He did manage to make one friend in his childhood though. However, knowledge on him is pretty limited and nobody knows much about him."

"Ah, well, one friend is better than none!"

"That's very true! However, there is a myth that King Bryan's childhood friend, who was also his best friend, actually had ties of some sort to Astryn as well. Of course, the details of these ties are a mystery. But we do know that he was one of the strongest archers ever seen in the continent and he possessed skill like no other. His name is written as Skye, but no one knows if that's his real name or not."

"Oh, interesting… I'm so glad King Bryan wasn't completely alone when he was a kid though! Skye must have really been a great man."

"Oh yes, the texts even say here that he had also gained a nickname of his own, the Swift Arrow. He must have been able to fire arrows with incredible speed and accuracy."

"Yeah, I'll say! Was Skye the reason King Bryan changed as much as he did?"

"Pretty much, yes. It says that Skye made the effort to make Bryan more able to stand up for himself and meet aggression with aggression when necessary. And finally, Bryan did do that. Both joined the Talgrian army at the same time and fought side by side for the next several years. Bryan was also eventually promoted to a platoon captain and Skye was his second-in-command. Much like Frederick was mine in the Shepherds, actually."

"Oh, cool! Those two must have been so close. Like brothers even!"

"Yes, I bet they were!"

"Were you and Captain Frederick really good friends a long time too?"

"Well, I don't know if I can say we're as close as Bryan and Skye were, but we have been good friends for years. Even if Frederick would rather act like my personal maid at times…"

Lucina giggled at this.

"Yeah, Captain Frederick is so silly sometimes!"

"I'll say he is. Anyway… Oh, what's this? Interesting…"

"What, Daddy?"

"It seems Bryan's superior officer, the general that commanded the main army at the time, was good friends with Owen and knew of Bryan's heritage."

"Oh? Then he must have had to keep it a secret too."

"Indeed. And Bryan's leadership skills in the beginning were not very good either, apparently. His superior officer must have promoted him to try preparing him for the day he did learn of his Astrynian roots."

"Yeah, that makes sense. But it must have worked, or else King Bryan wouldn't be as famous as he is!"

"Yeah, probably. Bryan gradually improved on his own as well though, I imagine. His skills in combat helped lead him and his men to many victories despite his lack of leadership skills, and some of his men still respected him for that. They probably thought he had potential and encouraged him to just work to be a better leader at his own pace."

"Aw, that's so nice!"

"That it is. And Bryan never gave up either, even when the next war started. The one in which Azura led her famed army to victory."

"Oh, keep going, Daddy! Keep going! I think this is gonna be the best part!"

"Haha, okay, okay."

With that, Chrom turned another page of the book, which led him to the third chapter, about Bryan's role early on in the war he had just mentioned. The first chapter explained his early life while the second chapter talked about his time in the army of Talgria before the war.

"The war officially started when the nation of Melora invaded Cilae, an allied nation of Talgria," Chrom began reading. "But not long before that, the king of Talgria sent Bryan and his men towards the eastern coast and it was there that he met Azura, the heroine who would become the famed Lady of Light, and Ike, the already legendary Radiant Hero from Tellius."

"Wow, so he met both of them early!" Lucina deduced.

"That's right," Chrom confirmed. "We're unsure if Bryan was sent there to look for Azura or to just investigate, but evidence seems to suggest the latter. Bryan then decided to escort her to the king since he wished to speak with her and they'd remained together as allies since."

"I see…"

"Meanwhile, Astryn was on the brink of collapse. With their queen near death and there being no heir to the throne, they lacked a true leader. They were an easy target for enemies and suffered further because of this. In their quest to seek a solution to their problems, the nobles found an old portrait depicting a regal-looking young woman. However, none of them had ever seen her before, so they couldn't identify her."

"So, did they take it to the queen?"

"As a matter of fact, they did, in hopes that she knew who the woman was. And the queen did claim that she was her sister, but did not give a name. She was too ill to say much. Even so, she also spoke of a child this sister had, a little boy. The nobles searched everywhere for a man that bore resemblance to the mysterious woman, but they could not find one that looked enough like her."

"They must have been kind of picky. I mean, King Bryan could've looked more like his dad than his mom, couldn't he?"

"That's true, but the nobles couldn't afford to test a whole bunch of people. It was time-consuming as well as risky. Some of those people could've taken advantage of the situation out of greed and only made things worse."

"Oh, yeah, that's true…"

Chrom continued by describing the woman from the portrait, the princess whom had been Bryan's mother. Bryan had actually ended up looking just like her, having inherited her olive green hair and green eyes. But of course, the reason the Astrynians never found him during their search was because Bryan wasn't in Astryn at all at the time, and the country didn't have very friendly relations with Talgria. They wouldn't have ever thought to look there. Eventually, they gave up the search and the nobles had begun vying for the throne. The debates and meetings on who should rule once the queen passed on eventually became heated to the point where they were nearly violent.

Meanwhile, the common people suffered heavily. They gradually became poor and even depressed, and some local vigilantes and mercenaries turned to banditry to survive. Some people starved while others lost their homes or other belongings. Even though the search for the lost prince had been disbanded, the people prayed that he would eventually come to save them anyway.

"Oh no… Astryn really was in big trouble. All those poor people… Did the nobles start sending soldiers against one another or did they not have enough after losing the last war they were in?" Lucina wondered.

"It wasn't that they didn't have enough, it's that they knew it would be a terrible idea to start another war while the country was already in bad enough shape as it is," Chrom explained. "Still, it didn't stop the nobles from constantly arguing and bickering."

"I see… That makes sense. So when did Bryan finally go there?"

"Sometime later after several nations in Altarais joined forces to combat Melora's plans. By this time, Bryan had also earned his nickname of Emerald Sentinel due to his prowess in the war. At first though, he only came to Astryn find his father, as he thought he was in danger. How he knew where he'd been, though, is still a mystery. It turned out that Owen had been kidnapped by Shigo, who once again sought Astryn for his own. Although Bryan and his group managed to rescue his father, Shigo fled before anyone could challenge him. It was then that Owen revealed everything to him."

"Ah. He must've been very shocked!"

"He sure was. Bryan was so devastated and astonished that he went into tears. He must've still cried a little easily despite having changed so much since his childhood."

"Oh my… But he decided to save Astryn anyway."

"That's right. He knew they needed their prince and a savior and that he was that prince. He vowed to become Astryn's king and restore the nation to its former glory, despite that he knew nothing about ruling a country."

"Wow, King Bryan was so brave and noble!"

"That he was. He decided to travel back to Talgria first so Azura could visit the king, however. They had also met General Leyon by this time, as they had joined his army at a fort along the way to Astryn. After meeting with the Talgrian king and completing a few missions he had given them, Bryan and his allies returned to Astryn."

"And that's when he began the real quest to save the country!" Lucina guessed excitedly.

"That's right," Chrom confirmed with a smile. The next page he turned brought them to the fourth chapter, which focused on the actual campaign to save Astryn from Shigo's clutches.

"What Bryan discovered in Astryn shocked him," Chrom continued. "The nation was in much worse shape than he had expected."

The Exalt then described that Bryan had been so devastated at the state of things in Astryn that he became unsure again of whether or not he could really save the country. Not only was it in the state Chrom had described beforehand, but apparently, a rumor had begun going around that the secret prince had been killed by the enemy already. This made Bryan frustrated and upset, but he had to continue, no matter what the circumstances. And thanks to support and motivation from his allies and even local Astrynians that still believed he lived, Bryan pressed forward. He had to eventually meet with one of the only people there that could identify him and his father. Not a whole lot had actually known he existed back when he was a baby, nor did many people know his mother. And most of those who had known about her never even saw either of the two. Almost everyone that did know them in person had been wiped out in the first war.

"The only exceptions were the queen herself and another Grand Duke," Chrom explained. "And unfortunately for Bryan and Owen, that grand duke had died some days before their arrival in Astryn. So they had to meet with the queen."

"Oh… Did they?" Lucina wondered.

"They were never able to, sadly. Bryan did find a noble that was sent by the queen to meet with his group, as word of their arrival had spread, but she passed away before they could reach the palace."

"Oh no… How did King Bryan ever prove his identity then?"

"Through Eronite, of course."

"Oh! Yeah, I forgot about that."

"Heh, well, it wasn't easy for Bryan to gain the honor of approaching the sacred lance. The Astrynian nobles decided to give him a test first to see if he could be trusted."

"Well, that makes sense. Anyone could lie about something like this."

"That's right. And despite the difficulties, and many people still believing he was a fake and that the real prince was dead, Bryan took on the test. He would never give up."

"Wow, he was so heroic and determined!"

"That's for sure. The details of this test are vaguely known, so all we know was that it was some kind of rescue mission, and one of the people that had been saved turned out to be an old friend of Owen's. However, this friend never knew about Bryan's mother or Bryan himself, so he could only vouch for Owen's identity."

"Well, it's good that he could help a little."

"That's true. Bryan was given the honor of approaching Eronite as promised, but things soon took a turn for the worst. The steward betrayed Astryn and had a vendetta against Bryan's family. He had a fake Eronite crafted and it wounded Bryan."

"Oh no! Was Bryan hurt badly?"

"It doesn't say exactly, but he recovered quickly, it seems, so I guess not. The steward had also secretly kidnapped and locked up one of the Astrynian generals, and he was found in an abandoned fort in a forest nearly starved to death."

"That poor man… The steward was cruel!"

"Yeah, he was. He had also planned to sign a non-aggression pact with Melora to keep Astryn out of the war."

"Oh? What's that?"

"A non-aggression pact is a document that promises that neither nation would attack the other. Thankfully, Bryan and his army stopped the steward. The texts say that the steward wasn't actually killed by Bryan himself, however. No, the girl that had been in a relationship with him did it. The one that would eventually become Bryan's wife and queen. I believe her name was Faline and she was nicknamed the Shield Queen of the Skies because she was a Pegasus rider."

"Wow! She must have been amazing. And their love had to have been really strong. Like the love between you and Mother!"

"Heh, yes, I bet it was! And you know I love your mother very dearly. Anyway, with the traitorous steward dead and Astryn able to join the war after all, Bryan could focus on Shigo. However, one thing was really odd about the whole situation."

"What was that?"

"Shigo hadn't shown his face since Bryan's father had been his hostage. Bryan wondered why this was for a long time, but he eventually figured it out on his own."

"Oh?"

"Bryan thought Shigo was waiting for him to be ready and wanted to give Astryn a fighting chance this time. And he was right."

"But wasn't Shigo a villain?"

"He was, apparently, but he must have changed over time. The texts say he wasn't ever truly a bad man, just terribly misguided and raised on poor ideals. But we don't know any other details, unfortunately."

"Well, that's a good thing."

"It is. Bryan started preparing by recruiting more troops and allies. He gained the aid of the dragon laguz tribe of Orenias, the country west of Astryn. And he gave a speech that highly motivated all the Astrynian soldiers. They say he even gained the aid of the beast laguz tribes of Larame to the northwest, despite that they weren't really friends with the dragons. Apparently, Melora had tricked the beast laguz into thinking the Astrynian wyvern riders were looting their stores, but Bryan managed to clear that up and stop those wyvern riders. Word of his efforts spread throughout the country, and in a short time, all of Astryn highly respected and supported him, and even already began calling Bryan their king after awhile. His nickname went from Emerald Sentinel to Emerald Prince and finally, to Emerald King."

"Wow, King Bryan really was incredible! Just like the other heroes you've taught me about!"

"I must agree. Also, some hawk laguz from Recathe to the south joined the war as well, but we aren't sure how that came to be. Some texts say a couple of them were the hostages rescued during Bryan's test, but no one knows if that's true."

"I see… And the laguz are those people who can turn into animals without needing to use any kind of stone, right? They're kind of like the Taguel except for that?"

"Yes, exactly. From what we know, there were no rabbit variations in Tellius's world, but there were cats, tigers, lions, wolves, hawks, ravens, herons, and dragons in Tellius. Altarais had all of these as well, but also a color of dragon not seen in Tellius. These were the rare blue dragons, only known to have been born into the royal family of Orenias."

"Wow, interesting!"

"Unfortunately, we don't know much more beyond that about this race. Well, as far as I know. I could try to find out if there's more information I don't know of."

"Oh, that would be awesome, Daddy!"

"Heh, then I'll try sometime just for you. Anyway, after gaining Orenias and Larame as allies, as well as strengthening Astryn's own army, Bryan finally confronted Shigo and his men. It was an epic battle between the troops, with many casualties on both sides."

"Wow… I wonder if it was as great as the one you and everyone else fought when I was just a baby."

"I don't know about that, but perhaps. And then, Bryan and Shigo challenged each other. The long awaited showdown came at last. All of Bryan's efforts and training would be put to the ultimate test. And of course, it was a battle that would never be forgotten."

"Ooh, tell me more!"

"I will, I will. At first, Bryan struggled. Shigo was a powerful opponent, and he was not going easy at all despite giving Bryan time to prepare. I'm sure he was disappointed with how Bryan was performing. But the prince didn't give up. He thought of all his friends, his father, and his supporters. Everyone that had encouraged, motivated, and inspired him. Bryan familiarized himself with Shigo's techniques and style, and continued to fight."

"Yeah, go Bryan!"

"Hehe."

Chrom continued by describing how Bryan used many of his own techniques, some of which he'd come up with himself over time. Shigo, however, also used techniques unfamiliar to Bryan, allowing him to put up a strong fight regardless. As the battle waged on, both warriors received many wounds, but neither ordered their healers to help them. They had agreed that it would be a fight to the finish and it would end only when one of them would live no more. The unfortunate thing was that due to having much more battle experience, Shigo was used to sustaining many wounds while Bryan had never taken so much damage before in his life.

"Oh my…" Lucina commented.

"Yet, Bryan endured it," Chrom replied. "He did it for the sake of everyone he fought for. I bet Shigo was impressed with him for this. And finally, after a very long battle, and the ground very bloody from their wounds, a few clever maneuvers allowed Bryan to deliver the final blow."

"But of course!" Lucina excitedly chanted. "Cause Bryan was crowned king afterward!"

"Why, yes he was. Well, later on. There was still the rest of the war with Melora."

"Ah, yeah… But then Lady Azura commanded everyone, right?"

"Yep. Bryan went on to have Astryn's troops become part of her army and they won the war together. After peace finally returned to all of Altarais, Bryan hosted a celebration at Astryn Palace's ballroom. Many guests from all over the continent, even Melora, danced and feasted joyously."

"Melora? But weren't they the bad guys?"

"Yes, but a few of its natives actually did not support the country's actions at all and defected to Azura's army. In fact, one was the princess, Erys. She would later be crowned queen and restore her country to the peaceful and friendly nation it once was."

"Oh, that's amazing!"

"It certainly was. She was nicknamed the Enlightenment Queen for her actions. Anyway, sometime during the celebration, Bryan proposed to Faline and of course she said yes."

"Aw, how romantic! Did he give her a special engagement ring like you gave to Mommy?"

"Actually, they say he did, though it wasn't one he'd had since childhood like it was in my case. We don't know at all what it looked like or anything, though."

"Yeah, I didn't think so. Little details like that are probably hard to find."

"Indeed. Anyway, sometime after the celebration, Bryan was officially crowned and began his reign as king. Soon after that, he and Faline were wed and she was crowned queen. This is where their reign together had its beginning."

"Yay! So, did the Astryn people actually accept Queen Faline?"

"As a matter of fact, many of them loved her too. Not just for her slaying the traitorous steward, but also because she was kind, patient, and forgiving. Both Bryan and Faline did make mistakes early on, Faline probably more so, but they did their best and over time, their skills grew and improved together."

"I thought you'd say something like that. I mean, they're famous!"

"That's definitely true. And now we get to the last chapter, which talks about their lives during their reign."

"Oooh."

"Bryan granted Owen a new title, Elder Grand Duke. This was due to the fact that he was much older than the other nobles and still had a lot of knowledge on the country despite having been away from it for so long. As Elder Grand Duke, Owen was second in command to the king and queen themselves and was the leader and representative of the other Grand Dukes and nobles."

"Wow, that's neat! King Bryan must have really looked up to his dad and had a lot of faith in him."

"He certainly did and Owen held the title with honor in return. A couple years after they were married, Bryan and Faline were blessed with twin children, a boy and a girl."

"Oh, King Bryan's children were twins? That's so cool!"

"Yep, that's right. And it _is_ pretty neat. I bet Owen was quite happy to become a grandfather to the twins too."

"Yeah, no doubt! Also, I was wondering something, Daddy."

"What's that, sweetheart?"

"Whatever happened to Shigo's body? You never said that part."

At this, Chrom paused for a moment, as he actually didn't quite have an answer.

"You know, that's a good question," he replied. "It didn't actually outright say. But it does read that Shigo's remaining troops fled in fear with it. I imagine Bryan simply didn't really care at all what happened to it. And was pretty hateful towards those soldiers."

"Huh… It wouldn't be all that surprising though."

"Yeah, I agree. Well, to move on, Bryan and Faline had done much to greatly improve the state of things in Astryn."

Chrom explained that Bryan had many new recruits trained to bolster Astryn's army while the nation recovered from the war. He began building a better relationship with Talgria as well. Faline helped with pulling the citizenry out of poverty, and some of the warriors that had previously turned to banditry went back to their original lives and decided to support their new rulers. Bryan and Faline made sure everyone had plenty of food and proper clothing and shelter again. Some buildings were simply renovated while others were torn down and rebuilt entirely. Completely new ones were added as well. Faline visited many towns on her Pegasus to see how the people were doing. She also commanded the nation's Pegasus knights and worked to rebuild them as well as have them act as a delivery service to take any extra supplies to the people when necessary. Under Bryan and Faline, Astryn slowly returned to the powerful and glorious state it had once been, despite any mistakes they had made. And of course, the Festival of the Emerald King was begun as well.

"Of course, repairing relations with Talgria was the hardest part," Chrom went on. "While there was a friendship between the royalty and a few of the nobles, the friendliness hardly extended beyond that. It would take time for the nations to truly become allies. And Bryan and Faline were still developing as rulers. They angered their advisors more than a few times with some of their decisions and other times, their actions actually made situations worse. But they made up for it by trying harder and working to become better rulers. And the people were glad, especially since Bryan and Faline had people like Owen to help the two out."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Lucina commented. "Raising children must've made things harder too though."

"Yeah, but I'm sure Bryan and Faline enjoyed it. They had to have loved Alex and Calina dearly, as they seemed to have admired their parents. Alex did eventually take up annually hosting a festival dedicated to his father, after all."

"That's true. Just like you and Mommy love your family!"

"Exactly! Over the years, Astryn remained prosperous and peaceful. Bryan and Faline's armies grew to be more massive than they'd been in decades, and the warriors that were a part of them were never defeated by any enemies that sought to challenge them. Bryan also trained Alex to be an infantry lancer like him, and Faline taught Calina to ride a Pegasus."

"Wow, they were all really strong!"

"They definitely were. I don't know if even our army could've matched them, but who knows?"

"Oh, I believe you can defeat anyone!"

This brought a loving smile to Chrom's face.

"Heh, thanks, sweetheart," he said. "And I wouldn't be surprised if Alex and Calina said the same to Bryan."

"Yeah, you're right! I wouldn't either," Lucina realized.

"I figured. Anyway, Bryan's reign lasted more than a few decades, and Faline was by his side the entire time. However, though both grew old together, it's said that Bryan had passed on first, of a cause unknown to us. It doesn't appear to have been a sudden death, though, so I imagine it was either an illness or plain old age."

"That's good. But Queen Faline and their children must have still been sad."

"Yeah, probably, but they likely saw it coming and could prepare. Bryan was pretty old at the time, after all."

"Well, that's true."

"But even after Bryan's passing, his heart and soul lived on in the nation. Books, poems, and songs were written about him, and many future rulers and nobles followed examples from him. The Festival of the Emerald King continued to be held every year, and the soldiers began donning green armor for that day in memory and honor of their most legendary king. A person could ask anyone in Altarais about King Bryan and they would gladly tell his story. The legend of the Emerald King would then travel through many generations to come."

Lucina clapped at Chrom's reading of the conclusion.

"Wow, that was an amazing story, Daddy!" she cried. "I'm glad I got to hear it!"

"Heh, me too. It is quite a fascinating tale and I could learn a thing or two from Bryan myself," Chrom agreed with a smile.

"But you're a great Exalt! Everyone loves you!"

"Yes, but it never hurts to keep learning and trying to improve."

"Yeah, that's true. And King Bryan was awesome!"

"Indeed, he was."

With that, Chrom closed the book and allowed Lucina to gaze at the cover once more. A large grin soon tugged at his face. Maybe he wouldn't ever be as magnificent a ruler as Bryan had been, but Chrom knew he had his ideas and the ideas of other great kings and queens to look to for support and could be a great Exalt to remember regardless.


End file.
